Equipment for oiling metal surfaces



.Jan. 27, 1959 J. H. BYRNES EQUIPMENT FOR 01mm; METAL SURFACES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 22, 1957 I2 36 32 INVENTOR.

JAMES H. BYRNES Arroklvf Jan. 27, 1959 J. H. BYRNES EQUIPMENT FOR 0mm; METAL SURFACES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 22, 1957 INVENTOR.

JAMES h. BYRNES' I I I 4 ATTORNEY United tates' atent EQUIPMENT FOR OILING METAL SURFACES James H. Byrnes, Orinda, Califi, assignor to Westoak Machine Corp., Oakland, Calif., a corporation of California Application January 22, 1957, Serial No. 635,349

6 Claims. (Cl. 118-427) The invention, in general, relates to devices and methods of protecting metal surfaces against rust and corrosion. proved equipment for applying a thin film of a surface protective substance, such as oil, uniformly over the entire area of the top and bottom surfaces of metal sheets and strips.

Heretofore in this art, there have been employed but two methods, together with attendant equipment, of applying oil or the like to metal surfaces to the end that such surfaces might be protected against corrosion and rust. These prior methods consist of spraying the rust and corrosive resistant oil onto the surfaces, and of dripping the oil onto the surfaces. Neither of these prior methods have been satisfactory or effective in accomplishing the desired end in many instances, such as oiling the surfaces of sheet and strip steel traveling at high speed in a steel mill. In the spraying method, not only must the users thereof install extensive and expensive fire prevention equipment and devices for precipitation of the evolved inflammable mist in order to obviate fire hazards arising from the rapid formation of such combustible mist surrounding the area of spray application, but considerable oil is wasted in such process and, in addition, uniform application of the oil to the surfaces is not accomplished. The drip method of oil application for oiling sheets moving at high speed from a conveyor belt through the oiling machine calls for oil dripping from petcocks onto a rotating-cloth-covered roll into which the upper surface of the sheet comes in contact.

'Oiling of the lower surface is attempted by another rotating clothecovered roll which receives its oil during the fleeting instant it is in contact with'the upper clothcovered roll during the gap between the steel sheets. The disadvantages are partial and uneven oil coverage on both surfaces.

The drip method applied to strip just prior to oiling is to permit oil to drip from petcocks directly to the upper surface of the strip and to also use burlap hangings to spread the oil. The oiling of the under surface is dependent upon contact with the upper surface as it is coiled. Again, this method of oil application is only a partial and an uneven oil coverage. The present invention is directed to an improved method of depositing these rust resistant and corrosive resistant substances onto metal surfaces which is entirely suitable to a wide variety of industrial and commercial applications and which obviates the inherent disadvantages of prior equip- 'ment in this field.

which is additionally characterized by its capability of effectively applying the oil or other rust and corrosive ing its operation.

More particularly, the invention relates to imice A still further object of my present invention is to provide improved equipment of the aforementioned character which incorporates therein elements for distributing an oil at a uniform rate to and throughout surface-engaging oil-retention means which serve to apply the oil uniformly over the .entire area of the top and bottom surfaces of the sheets being oil-treated upon engagement therewith.

Other objects of the invention, together with some of the advantageous features thereof, will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment as well as a modified embodiment of my invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that I am not to be limited to the precise embodiments illustrated, nor to the precise arrangements of the various parts thereof, as my invention, as defined in the appended claims, can be embodied in a plurality and variety of forms.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary schematic view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, this view showing rollers for feeding metal sheets between oiler rollers which are shown in end sectional elevation.

Pig. 2 is a side elevational view on a reduced scale of the preferred embodiment of the invention with the oiler rollers shown in side elevation and partly broken away to show the oil feed thereto. a

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal view of a modified embodiment of the invention installed in a plate grinding machine and illustrating one type of application of this embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a modified embodiment ofoiler roller installed for one type of application.

In its preferred form, my improved equipment for oiling metal surfaces to prevent rust and corrosion thereof preferably comprises a tank for holding a quantity of an effective oil, a pair of rotatably mounted surface-engaging and oil-retaining means, together with means for delivering oil from said tank to and evenly throughout said surface-engaging oil-retaining means whereby the top and bottom surfaces of metal sheets fed between the opposed pair of said surface-engaging oilretaining means are uniformly coated with said oil. A modified embodiment of my invention comprises a surface-engaging oil-retaining member, and means for supplying a quantity of a rust and corrosive resisting oil to and throughout said member whereby the entire areas of the top surfaces of metal sheets successively fed past said member and engaging the same are uniformly coated with said oil. I

With particular reference to Fig. 1 of the annexed drawings, it will be observed that one of the more essential elements of my present improvement comprises a specially constructed roller, and that in the preferred embodiment of the invention I preferably support two of these specially constructed rollers 11 and 12 with their shafts 13 and 14, respectively, in axial alignment so that the two rollers 11 and 12 are opposed to one another. The rollers 11 and 12 constitute hollow drums or tubes, each defining a relatively large interior chamber 15 which communicate with a tank 16, as hereinafter described, holding a quantity of a rust-resisting as Well as corrosive-resisting oil that is applied to the top surface 17 as well as to the bottom surface 18 of metal sheets or metal strips 19 which may be successively fed between the opposed rollers 11 and 12 conveniently by 7 means of a pair of feed rollers 21 and 22 and which are received upon an endless conveyor 23 after the oil has a2 been applied to the surfaces thereof. The oil, per se, constitutes no .part .of. my present invention but I preferably employ in the system a tacky oil having a viscosity of 109-111 seconds at 100 R, such as a commercially available; oil; sold under the trade i mark Calo C. P.

In accordance:with:myv invention, the shafts oraxles 13 and 14 of. the .rollers .11 and :12 are formed -l'lOll'OW throughout their.lengthsandaresplaced in communication with the. interiorof tank lfizby means of a pair of flexible hoses .2d'..and 27,respectively, which are connectedto a header conduit 23secured to the bottom of the tank .16 and -communicating with the interior thereof so that the oil may flow, preferably by gravity? into. the hollow shafts;..or.axles 13. and 14- of the drums. 11 and 12'; flow through theheader conduit 25%; being controlledby a manuallyoperable valve 29 interposed therein. The two.;a.-xles.1 3. and ll-tareformed with a plurality of openings 31 and 32 which may be conveniently arranged opposed pairs, as shown in Fig. 1, at spaced intervalsalongtheishafts, although arrangement of the openingsinzopposed pairs is not critical, such openings being in sufficient area to be greater than the area of the passages of the axlesin order that the flow ofoil is not slowed down; such openings in the axles establishing Communication between the axles and the interior chambers 15. of therollers and thus permit even and full flow of thegoil from tank 16 thereinto. Each of the rollers 11 and Y12 is formed with a perforated interior/periphery 33., with perforations 34 arranged at convenient .circumferentially spaced intervals thus permitting emanationof the oil from the chambers .15 to the exterior of the inner drum peripheries 33.

In addition, each of the rollers 11 and 12 is provided with an outer surface-engaging periphery 36 which is formed from a plurality of felt washers 37 which are pressed into juxtaposition transversely of the roller peripheries and which are ground on their outer surfaces to a smooth exterior surface; the thus constructed outer periphery 36 of each roller 11 and 12constituting a surface-engaging as well as oil-retention member. In order that the supplied oil may be evenly distributed to and throughout the width of this outer periphery 36 of each roller, I preferably interpose a series of spacer bars38 .as well as a cylindrical metal screen 39 between the inner and outerperipheries 33 and 36 of each roller; the

spacer bars 38 being conveniently arranged at spaced intervals cireumferentially about each inner periphery 33 and welded thereto with the metal screen 39 resting on the bars '38. Thespaces between the bars 38 permit even distribution of the supplied oil' throughout the .length of the felt outer peripheries 36 of the rollers,

.which become saturated with the oil and which release the oil upon engaging another surface, such as the surfaceswof-metal'sheetsor-strips fed between the pair of opposed rollers 11 and 12. These rollers. conveniently {may be rotated by any suitable driving means, such as sprocket and chain drive from the shaft of a motor, both not shown.

The embodiments of Figs. 1 and 2 has been designated herein as the preferred embodiment of my invention since, in a steel mill application of the invention, it is desirable to oil both sides of a sheet or strip to inhibit .rust and corrosion of the produced steel sheets and strips. In such steel mill installation, rollers 11 and 12 are mounted-for rotation in opposed pairs, as shown, in bearing mounts located in a fixed position in relation to the .direction of travel of the strips or sheets, and are driven by any suitable motor through belt or chain drive con-. .lnections.

When the rollers 11 and 12 are mounted for toiling the top and bottom surfaces of sheets, they conveniently are mounted and located between the flying shearand the stacking bin within the mill. In such steel mill installation for oiling sheets, the rollers 11 and 12 are'preferably constructed to a diameter of one foot and to a,..length of approximately four and one-half feet, and such rollers are arranged to be driven at approximately 160 revolutions per minute, or faster, but preferably at the same surface speed as the driven speed of the steel sheets fed therebetween for oiling. When installed for oiling continuous strips as they come from a temper mill, the rollers 11 and 12 conveniently are mounted in bearings supported in a special frame, not shown, so that the strips can be fed between the rollers before rotation thereof is commenced. In these .zinstallations, it is convenient on some occasions to mountthe rollers 11 and 12 so that their axles 13 and 14 are in vertical alignment and, in other instances, to mount these rollers with their .axles in alignment but at an inclination to the vertical. It is to be understood that in both of the foregoing installations or applications, oil reservoir tank 16 is suitably mounted in relation to the-rollers 11 and 12 to give the desired head for gravity iiow of the oil. It is to be appreciated .that different densities of felt for providing the outer felt peripheries 36 of the rollers should be employed for oils having diiferent viscosities.

While I have indicated above that the rollers iLand 12 are power driven when installed for oiling top and bottom surfaces 17 and 18 of steel sheets 19 which are successively fed between the rollers, these rollers may be mounted idly in bearings so that they will berotate'd by me frictional engagement of metal sheets or metal strips fed therebetween. In one steel mill application, for example, with the rollers 11 and 12 idly mounted for rotation insuitable bearings, a continuous steel strip may be fed between the rollers from a coil, notshown, arranged in convolutions on a rotatably mounted roll. The continuous metal strip can be inserted at itsfree end between the rollers Hand 12 and the roll containing the coil can be driven to unwind the continuous strip therefrom. Movement of the strip between U16 ',lle,rs 11 and 12 will effect rotation of such rollersby frictional engagement which, of course, transfers oil frornathe, .felt outer peripheries 36 of the rollers uniformly'over-the entire upper and lower surfaces of the-strip.

In Figs. 3 and 4 of the annexed drawings, .Ihave illustrated a modified embodiment of the invention=wherein either a single or two oiler rollers may be incorporated, depending upon the width of the sheets orstrips to be treated. This embodiment is primarily devised-fpr use in metal grinding equipment in preparing metal sheets or strips for grinding and polishing operati us. In Fig. 3, there is depicted a-portion of awell-hnown grinding machine with' which a modifiedemhodiment-gf this invention is combined, including two oilen ollers 1'11 and 112 which are idly mounted for rotationin suitable, aligned'pairs of bearings 106 and 10:7, respectively, and 168 and 109, respectively. In .thisinstallation, the rollers 111 and 112 are provided .with hollow, shafts or axles 113 and 114 and take-the form of .hollow tubes, approximately 4 inches or more .in diameter, defining relatively large interior chambers .115. :As shown in Fig. 3, the metal sheets to be oiled-treated are fed through the machine in underlying relation to .the rollerssothat the rollers will applyoil only to the uppersurfaces 117 and 118 of the sheets 119 .as they are fed successively through the machine, Means are provided in this :type of machine for raising and lowering the oiler rollers relative to the bed of the machine over which the metal sheets are fed tothe rollers, such means forming no part of my invention, per'se, but including pneumatically operable pistons in cylinders 120 for holding the rollers in raisedposition, asshown. in Fig. 3. While two rollers 111 and 112 are illustrated in the modifications of Figs. 3 and 4, arranged alongside one anothergand with their axles in horizontal alignment, a single oiler roller of greater width can be substituted 'for the two rollers if desired.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view of Fig. 4 depicts the construction of the rollers or tubes 111 and 112, and the means for feeding an efiective rust and corrosive resistant oil from a reservoir, not shown, to the interiors of the shafts 113 and 114 of the rollers. As shown, the external extremities of the axles 113 and 114 are interiorly threaded for threadedly receiving a threaded elbow 126 to which a flexible conduit 127 is connected for establishing communication between the interiors of the shafts and the oil reservoir in which the oil is held at a suitable elevation to provide a head for permitting gravity flow thereof to the rollers. As in the preferred embodiment, a manually operable valve, not shown, can be interposed in conduits 127 for controlling oil flow.

Each of the axles 113 and 114 of the rollers is provided with a plurality of openings 131 at intervals along their lengths to establish communication between the interiors of the shafts and the relatively large chamber 115 of the hollow tubes; each tube being formed with an inner perforated periphery 133 which has its perforations, as indicated at 134, arranged at spaced intervals transversely as well as circumferentially of the two, thus allowing for passage of the oil from the interior chambers 115 to the exteriors of the inner peripheries 133.

In accordance with the present invention, each roller 111 and 112 of the modified embodiments of Figs. 3 and 4 is provided with an oil distribution means as well as a surface-engaging oil-retention member. The oil distributor conveniently comprises perforated metal screens 135, in tubular form, surrounding the inner peripheries 133 of the rollers, and the oil-retention member preferably comprises a felt outer periphery 136 which consists of a plurality of individual felt washers 137 compressed in juxtaposition transversely of the rollers and directly upon the metal screens 135 which, in themselves, serve as spacer members between the inner perforated periphery 133 and the felt outer periphery 136 of the rollers. For convenience, the felt outer peripheries 136 of the rollers 111 and 112 of the modification of Figs. 3 and 4 are held under compression between opposed washers 141 at each end of each of the tubes which washers are backed-up by nuts 142 which are threaded upon threaded extremities of the two rollers. It is to be understood, of course, that before placing the two rollers in operation, the felt outer peripheries 136 are ground on their outer surfaces in order to present smooth peripheries for engaging the metal sheets fed thereto. Oil of the effective type, which preferably consists of a commercially available sulphurized cutting oil, may be supplied from the reservoir to the interiors of the axles 113 and 114 of the rollers and the oil passes thence to the interiors 115 of the rollers and out the perforations 134 of the inner peripheries 133 to be distributed transversely of the rollers and evenly by virtue of the surrounding metal screens 135 to pass into the felt outer peripheries 136 and saturate the same. When the peripheries 136 engage metal surfaces the oil retained in the outer peripheries passes immediately onto the metal sheets and is distributed uniformly over the entire upper surfaces of the sheets treated.

While I have illustrated and described herein felt outer peripheries 36 and 136 on the rollers 11, 12 and 111, 112 of the preferred and modified embodiments of my invention, and felt peripheries may be deemed preferred, because of the oil-retaining quality thereof as well as the ease of releasing the oil onto the sheets or strips, and also because of the toughness and durability thereof in addition to its capacity to be ground to a smooth finish, it is nevertheless within the purview and scope of the present invention to employ sponge rubber or a plastic sponge, or like material having the aforesaid properties, for the outer peripheries of the rollers of the embodiments illustrated and described.

It is to be understood that the appended claims are to be accorded a range of equivalents commensurate in scope with the advance made over the prior art.

I claim:

1. Equipment for oiling metal sheets and strips, said equipment comprising a rotatably mounted hollow roller defining a chamber for receiving a controlled quantity of an oil, means for supplying a regulated quantity of an oil to said chamber, a perforated periphery on said roller for establishing communication between said chamber and the exterior of the roller, a spongeous covering on and extending around the periphery of said roller and of sufficient capacity to retain oil emanating from said chamber without dripping thereof; release of oil from said spongeous covering occurring upon the subjection of said covering to the external force of a metal surface engaging said covering, and means mounted on said roller between said spongeous covering and the periphery of said roller for evenly distributing oil emanating from' said chamber throughout the entire extent of said spongeous covering whereby the surface of a metal sheet engaging said covering is uniformly coated with oil emitted from said spongeous covering.

2. Equipment as defined in' claim 1 wherein said spongeous covering consists of a plurality of felt washers arranged longitudinally of the periphery of said roller in juxtaposition to one another.

3.'In equipment as defined in claim 1 wherein said spongeous covering consists of a plurality of felt washersarranged longitudinally of the periphery of said roller in juxtaposition, and means for retaining said felt washers under compression exerted longitudinally of said covering.

4. Equipment for oiling top and bottom surfaces of metal sheets, said equipment comprising a pair of rotatably mounted hollow rollers arranged in opposed relationship; each of said rollers having an interior chamber for receiving a controlled quantity of an oil, means for supplying a regulated quantity of an oil to each of said chambers, a perforated periphery on each of said rollers for establishing communication between the chambers thereof and the exteriors thereof, an outer spongeous covering on and extending around the periphery of each of said rollers and of sufficient capacity to retain oil emanating from the chambers thereof without dripping; release of oil from said spongeous coverings occurring upon the subjection of said coverings to the external force of metal surfaces engaging said coverings when metal surfaces are passed between said rollers, and means on each of said rollers between the peripheries thereof and said spongeous coverings for evenly distributing oil throughout the entire extent of said spongeous coverings whereby the top and bottom surfaces of metal sheets engaged by said coverings are uniformly coated with oil emitted from said spongeous coverings when metal sheets are passed between said opposed rollers.

5. Equipment as defined in claim 4 wherein said spongeous coverings on said rollers consist of a plurality of felt washers arranged longitudinally of said rollers and in juxtaposition.

6. Equipment as defined in claim 4 wherein said spongeous coverings consist of a plurality of felt washers arranged longitudinally of said rollers and in juxtaposition, and means on each of said rollers for retaining said washers under compression exerted longitudinally of said rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,272,368 Dufiy Feb. 10, 1942 2,611,336 Sachs Sept. 23, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,835 Great Britain Nov. 7, 1912 

